5863 Yakovlev Yak-1b

The Yak-1b was donated by Wolf Messing to the pilots of the 1st Fighter Aviation Regiment "Warszawa" and was the most famous aircraft of the Polish People's Army during World War II. The Yak-1 belongs to the family of aircraft created in the Yakovlev design bureau. Planes of this type have been serving in Polish aviation since 1943. The plane gained a reputation as a solid and easy-to-maintain machine. It was respected by both pilots and ground crew, alike. Interestingly, it was one of the smallest and lightest fighters of World War II. A very good power-to-weight ratio gave the plane excellent performance, making it a formidable opponent.